


Day One: Chess

by rizahawkaye



Series: Royai Week 2017 [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Chess, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Funny, Games, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 09:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11102067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rizahawkaye/pseuds/rizahawkaye
Summary: The Knight is strong, and the King is almighty; but it’s the Queen who holds true power.





	Day One: Chess

**Author's Note:**

> I think this would have taken place shortly after Roy’s team has been assembled. They’re all still getting used to one another and learning to work together so naturally Havoc would try to get at Hawkeye in some way (bc she’s hot and he’s not been acquainted w the Mustang/Hawkeye relationship yet). (((;

Roy could play the game, and he liked to think he played it well. Hours of matches in the east with Grumman had amounted to a general understanding of how a person could go about winning the game. He recognized winning strategies and was always good at employing them himself when the opportunities arose. He prided himself of the ability to manipulate his side of a chess board, in turn manipulating his opponent’s. With pieces, with practice it was easy. Chess was easy, Roy thought. He was so used to the sound of pieces tapping the board, of the feel of cool plastic against his fingertips, though, that he sometimes forgot people played differently when there were no boxes to move through or rules to follow.

“Colonel,” Havoc said as he leaned back in his chair and stuffed his arms behind his head. The chime of a clock signaled noon and most of the military personnel in the building began to shuffle out for lunch. Havoc proposed a game when the room had cleared, when he tossed a glance in Riza Hawkeye’s direction as she wandered out into the hall, grinned, and said, "That Lieutenant Hawkeye is _something else_."

"Somewhat out of your league, Havoc,” Roy’s response was automatic. He didn’t lift his eyes from a stack of papers he was flipping through lazily. The offices had quieted aside from the hum of voices through the halls. Afternoon light flooded through the large windows that sat on the back wall and burned Roy’s shoulders until he began to sweat. Irritated, he wiped his hand across his forehead.

"I bet I could get her to go out with me,” Havoc mused, ignoring his commanding officer’s comment. He put his feet up on his desk and tipped backward in his chair. He was still grinning.

"She’s your superior. You two can’t date.” Roy signed on a dotted line, wiped more sweat.

"Okay,” Havoc said slowly. “I bet I can get her to say she would go out with me if she could."

Roy snickered and said, "I bet she rejects you."

Havoc spun around in his chair to face his Colonel. He planted his feet on the floor loudly and his eyes narrowed as he said, "I bet she doesn’t."

"Havoc,” Roy placed his pen down gently and folded his hands over one another to peer over them at his Second Lieutenant. “Out. Of your. League.” He felt he’d made a good play, a good move, when Havoc’s grin flipped into a frown.

“Yeah?” Havoc retorted. “You would know, Colonel.”

"You’re playing with the big boys on this one, Havoc,” Roy said. “Hawkeye could be out of every man’s league and that would just mean she has to settle for the next best thing."

"Which would be you, sir?” Havoc pressed, his words dipped in sarcasm.

Roy sat his chin on his hands. “Precisely."

"Okay, Colonel,” Havoc sighed as he turned back to his desk. “If you can get the Lieutenant to say she’d go out with you over me, I’ll personally file all your paperwork for the next week."

"Great!” _Check_.

"But,” Havoc continued. “If I can get her to say she’d go out with me over you, you have to file _my_ paperwork for the next week."

"Deal,” Roy said, his confidence flooding the room. He leaned back in his chair and continued to breeze through a stack of papers he’d skipped lunch to skim. Chess was easy, he affirmed. It was especially easy when he had such a sturdy understanding of the players. Roy was sure his Lieutenant would never choose another man over her Colonel, and he was sure Havoc would fumble with his play, miss a signal, and lose.

He was so sure that he didn’t even protest the moment Havoc made the first move. He didn’t even flinch as Riza re-entered the office with Breda, Falman, and Fuery tailing her. He didn’t even raise his eyes to her when she sat down in her seat across from Havoc’s and Havoc said, “Hawkeye."

Riza raised an eyebrow at him. "Havoc."

Havoc leaned over the large desk he shared with the Lieutenant, bracing himself on his forearms. He offered a lopsided grin to her, but she didn’t return it as he’d hoped. Instead, she sent nervous glances to the other men at the table who only shrugged their shoulders at her. "If you could date any guy in this room,” Havoc started. “Who would it be?"

Roy straightened in his chair. He lifted his chin in preparation for his most loyal subordinate’s obvious answer. Knowing the game, knowing the players. _Checkmate_ , he thought to himself. However, when Hawkeye deadpanned with, "Fuery,” Roy’s jaw dropped and he was sure everyone in the room could hear his confidence shattering as it hit the floor.

“F-Fuery?” Havoc choked.

“Or Falman,” Riza mused, touching a finger to her chin.

“Falman!? He’s, like, old!” Havoc gestured to Falman, his palms up as if he were presenting Falman’s age on a platter.

“Kind of rude, Havoc,” Falman pouted.

“He’s kind,” Riza said, coming to Falman’s aid. “Fuery’s smart. As a matter of fact, Breda is interesting. He’s a contender, too, I guess."

Fuery blushed and looked down at his lap, Breda shot Havoc a look, and Falman’s eyes flickered nervously to his Colonel.

Before Havoc could retort, Roy’s voice rose, "Choose between me or Havoc.” He was standing behind his desk with his palms pressed firmly on its surface. Riza swallowed a chuckle when she laid her eyes on his face, his eyes telling her she’d damaged his fragile ego.

“Neither,” she shifted in her seat, playing the game different than Roy had anticipated. He could feel her enjoying herself, he noticed the way the corners of her mouth pulled upward into an almost-smile. He decided that he didn’t like the way Havoc had talked about her earlier that afternoon.

“You have to choose one,” Havoc pointed at her.

“Okay,” she said. “You, Havoc.“

"I’m your last choice!?” Roy almost fell forward over his desk.

“Yes!” Havoc clapped his hands and punched the air. “It’s because I’m taller than the Colonel, isn’t it? Or because I’m better with guns? We would have a lot to talk about, Hawkeye.”

“We sure would, Havoc,” Riza said, completely uninterested in either thing Havoc had mentioned.

Roy seated himself slowly, avoiding eye contact with a radiant Havoc and fighting the flush on his face. His subordinates must have felt their Colonel’s sour mood because the rest of the day went by in an uninterrupted silence. Roy continued to scoop sweat off his brow, his mind racing as he replayed the game in his head and wondered how he’d lost. As Havoc sauntered forward to Roy’s desk when the clock chimed 5:00, however, Roy was suddenly aware that he’d made no mistakes in his moves, or his wager. His eyes skipped to Riza before settling on his Second Lieutenant.

“Colonel,” Havoc plopped papers on Roy’s desk. “These are for you. I’m going to go get a drink.” He spun around on his heel as he stuck an unlit cigarette between his teeth. He stopped by Riza’s side of their shared desk and tapped it with his knuckles. “Wanna join me, Lieutenant Hawkeye?”

“Havoc,” Roy and Riza echoed one another. “Don’t press your luck,” Riza said.

“Suit yourself,” Havoc shrugged. “You guys wanna come?”

“Gladly,” Breda responded, standing from his seat and gesturing for Falman and Fuery to follow.

“Sure,” Falman said.

“Okay, but I’m not much of a drinker,” Fuery shoved his paperwork into a neat pile in the middle of the desk and joined the other men as they started down the hall for the exit to their building. Roy didn’t even wait until they were out of earshot before he grudgingly said, “You can leave, too, Lieutenant Hawkeye.”

“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, sir,” she said.

“Must run in the family,” Roy mumbled.

“What, sir?” Riza asked, turning her head toward him. “Jealousy?”

“This infuriating ability to gauge, strategize, and win. It must run in your family, Hawkeye.” Roy tried not to sound aggravated as he said it, but he did and it satisfied her. He watched her smile at him, tip her head and say, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to stride across the room and kiss her, or if he wanted to dip under his desk and pretend she weren’t there. She turned back to her work, as diligent as ever, and Roy studied the way her hand moved, the way her bangs fell in her face.

“You should get back to work, sir,” Riza said, causing Roy to rip his eyes off her and plant them on his desktop.

“You wouldn’t really have chosen Fuery over me, yeah?” He asked as he spread papers out in front of him and scanned a few pages with his eyes.

“I might not have if you hadn’t bet Havoc on it,” she responded. “You play games with Grumman, sir, not me.”

"You’re good at games,” Roy said. “You sure played me.”

“I’d do it again, sir,” Riza said.

“I’m sure you would,” Roy sighed. “I guess I deserved it.”

“It isn’t so much that you deserved it, sir,” Riza said. “Havoc deserved it too, but you bore the brunt of the loss because I had more fun watching you lose than I would have watching Havoc lose.” She smiled at him again and Roy felt his heart thump against his ribs. He heard Havoc say, “That Lieutenant Hawkeye is _something else_ ,” in his head and he knew he agreed, but he also knew he wished Havoc hadn’t noticed.

“Go easy on me, would you?” He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Sir,” Riza said, her voice steady. “Checkmate."

"Yeah, yeah,” Roy groaned. His eyes opened as he heard her move, and he watched her walk toward him. She placed her finished paperwork on the corner of his desk and grabbed half of what Havoc had left for him. “Lieutenant?"

"I suppose I’ll help you through these, sir,” she said. “I am your assistant and whatever work doesn’t get done around here will surely reflect poorly on me."

"Surely,” he said, smiling to himself. Minutes passed by before he muttered, “Please shoot Havoc down when the opportunity arises."

"But sir,” Riza said. “We have so much in _common_."

Roy couldn’t help but laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be seven pieces in this series, so stay tuned!


End file.
